Council grilled over validity of plans for London Road Industrial Estate

Questions around the viability and purpose of the former Faraday Road football pitch site in the centre of Newbury once again dominate West Berkshire Council’s Executive committee this week (Thursday).

The questions have been repeatedly asked by campaigners who claim the council’s plans for a multi million pound sports hub on Monks Lane are a waste of money.

The same group are also questioning the validity of the London Road Industrial Estate plans, where the Farraday Road pitch sits.

John Gotelee has asked several public questions of the council’s leading committee, demanding to know what problems the council forsees in turning the pitch into a brownfield site and wants to know why hockey and cricket are being left out of the sports hub proposal.

“In respect of the plans for the LRIE to remain an industrial estate one can assume that vehicle movements will remain roughly the same so is the new A339 junction just another tax payer funded white elephant demonstrating that the council cannot be trusted with the public purse?” he asks.

Another regular thorn in the council’s side is Paul Morgan, of the Newbury Community Football Clubs organisation and is firmly of the view that the council is wasting public money as well as denying community groups a much needed playing pitch.

“Can the Council please provide full details on how much officers time, over the past 10 years, has been recorded against the overall “LRIE re-development project”?” He asked.

The planning decision to allow the Monks Lane sports hub is currently subject to legal challenge prompting more questions of the executive.

The application to prevent the development was originally refused by the High Court, but following an appeal heard on August 18, will now proceed to a full hearing.

“With the pending / upcoming Judicial Review, and despite the council’s publicly expressed confidence in their case, would it not be prudent, in light of the Council’s track record with legal challenges, to remove the risk of wasting yet more taxpayers money should they lose the case, by withdrawing the current application / approval and submitting a new application that is totally unambiguous and states categorically that the Monks Lane Sports Hub is intended as the main part of a replacement facility for the Faraday Road Football Stadium?” Asks Vaughan Miller, (Lib Dem, East Fields) of Newbury Town Council.

The council says it remains confident of its position and will continue to robustly defend this claim to ensure that the sports facility can be delivered.

Those opposing the hub say the nub of the issue is that the councillors all voted for the application based on it being a stand alone sport hub.

Howard Woollaston (Con, Lambourn), executive member for housing, leisure and culture at West Berkshire Council, said: “This decision is extremely disappointing as it will result in a delay to the delivery of a high quality, and much needed sports facility, including a world-class artificial turf pitch and club house.

"Not only does this mean that we are likely to miss a full season of football, it almost certainly means that Newbury Football Club will not have their new home for the 2023-24 season.

“The further delay will also result in additional costs being incurred for the project and for the council tax payer.”

The date for this hearing is not yet confirmed.

The group further ask if the regeneration of the LRIE is viable without building either commercial or residential units on the Farraday Road pitch.

In June, West Berkshire Council abandoned its plans to build flats on the old pitch.

The Conservative-run council now plans to dedicate the site to “commercial space” by 2026.

The change of heart comes following analysis by consultant Avison Young, which discovered there was a lack of interest from businesses in developing the site for housing and a “significant” rise in demand for commercial space, “driven by the post Brexit trading environment, the impact of the Covid pandemic”, and the UK’s 2050 net zero goals.

The responses from the council are pre prepared and either read out or sent to those submitting questions. The questioners are only allowed to ask one supplementary question of the council.